What Does Advent Mean?

I didn’t get to experience the richness and beauty of the Advent season until I started attending an Anglican church. All I knew about Advent was that it had something to do with Christmas and calendars. Later, I discovered that Advent is about waiting, longing, and the tension of living in the now and not yet. 

If you’re like me and you didn’t grow up in a liturgical tradition, Advent may feel a little perplexing. And, even if you did grow up in a liturgical church, you may not have stopped to think about the meaning behind the Advent traditions your church observes each year. 

Instead of skipping Advent this year or merely celebrating it haphazardly, perhaps we can intentionally join in the centuries old Christian tradition of waiting, hoping, and longing for Christ’s coming. 

Before the Advent season begins, I recommend getting clear on what Advent means and why it’s significant. I’ve written this article to help you sort out some of the questions you might have about Advent so that you can experience its beauty and richness. 

We’ll start by looking at what Advent is exactly, discover what the word “advent” means, and discuss the four themes of Advent. Then, we’ll see how, even though the word “advent” isn’t found in the Bible, its themes can be found throughout Scripture. We’ll pay close attention to the Advent themes in the Old Testament and then touch on how we see Advent in the New Testament. Finally, I’ll include a list of my favorite resources, books, and devotionals that make observing Advent meaningful. 

What is Advent?

The word “advent” comes from the Latin word adventus and means “coming” or “arrival.” It’s related to the Greek word parousia, which deals with eschatology and the second coming of Christ. This was the primary meaning of Advent when it first began to be observed in the fourth century.¹ However, this meaning has been somewhat obscured, and today most Christians focus on Jesus’ first coming when they observe Advent. In actuality, during Advent, we reflect on three comings of Christ: his arrival as an infant, his return at the end of time, and his coming into our lives.² 

While Christmas is a season of joy, Advent is a season of waiting and longing. Many people conflate the two, but as Ashley Tumlin Wallace writes, “advent isn’t a countdown to Christmas… It’s a season all its own, and it invites us into something deeper.” During this season, we get to put ourselves in the shoes of first-century Jews living under Roman occupation, longing for the Lord to send his Messiah. 

Longing for Another Kingdom

Though different, their situation isn’t so unlike ours. We are citizens of God’s kingdom living within worldly “kingdoms.” We’re very familiar with the cognitive dissonance that comes from living within imperfect and sometimes corrupt kingdoms while longing for another. We see the brokenness in our world and recognize that things shouldn’t be this way. We, too, long for the Messiah to come once more and mend the broken things in our world. 

Similarly, in our personal lives, we know what it feels like to wait, hope, and long for something we deeply desire but haven’t yet received. Some are longing for God to heal a chronic illness. Many are hoping that God might provide a spouse to experience life together. Others are navigating infertility and longing for a child. There are those who are praying for a better career so they can provide for their family. 

During the Advent season, we get to bring these longings to the Lord. Bobby Gross writes in Living The Christian Year that “we wait in hope. We believe that something is happening in our world, something is taking shape in our lives, something large, light-filled and life-giving. Even in December’s lengthening darkness, this seed of joyful hope grows within us.”³ If we let it, Advent can be an opportunity to grow deeper in our faith. 

Related: What the Birth of Jesus Tell Us About God’s Faithfulness

Significance and Meaning of Advent

Advent also marks the beginning of the liturgical year. Eastern churches observe a Nativity fast and do penance and preparation for 40 days leading up to Christmas. The celebration of Advent moves backwards. It begins with Jesus’ teachings about the end, moves to John the Baptist’s proclamation of Jesus as the Christ, and then to the birth of Christ the week before Christmas.⁴ 

Moving backwards might not seem to make much sense but it’s necessary so that we have context surrounding the significance of Jesus’ birth. He wasn’t born just for the sake of being born. He was born because of God’s plan to redeem and restore his good creation. Just as some movies start with a scene of the characters at the end and then “rewinds” to show us how they got there, Advent begins with the end so we can fix our eyes on what is to come and live in light of God’s promises, not the hard things we experience from day to day. 

The Four Themes of Advent 

The Church observes Advent for four weeks. Each week focuses on a theme: hope, peace, joy, and love. After the lighting of an Advent candle, a passage from the Old Testament, a psalm, a Gospel passage, and a New Testament passage is read. 

Hope

The first week focuses on hope; particularly hope for the return of Christ. Passages such as Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122, Matthew 24:36-44, and Romans 13:11-14 are read. 

For example, in Matthew 24:36-44, Jesus explains that no one knows when the Son of Man will return. We are called to be “awake” and “ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” 

The Gospels tell us that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us but it also tells us that he will return. The “hope” theme of Advent is a beautiful reminder that God desires to dwell among his people. 

Peace

The second week of Advent is all about peace. These readings include Isaiah 11:1-10, Psalm 72:1-7,18,19, Romans 15:4-13, and Matthew 3:1-12. The Old Testament readings highlight the peace and prosperity that the Messiah will bring. For example, Isaiah 11:9 famously anticipates a day when “the wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” Under the reign of the Messiah, things will be so peaceful that creatures that were once prey will feel comfortable living among creatures that were once predators. Instead of war and fighting, there will be rest. 

Ironically, the Gospel passage seems to be about anything but peace. It centers on John the Baptist’s forceful preaching of repentance. However, it makes sense because in order for us to have true peace, we need our sin and brokenness to be confronted. Peace doesn’t come by ignoring what’s wrong. It comes when we acknowledge it, confess, and repent. John the Baptist prepared the way for the Prince of Peace to come and take his place in our lives.

Joy

Next, the third week of Advent highlights joy. Traditionally, Isaiah 35.1-10, Psalm 146.4-10 (or Mary’s Magnificat), James 5.7-10, and Matthew 11.2-11 are read.

When Isaiah prophesies that “the desert and the parched land … will rejoice greatly and shout for joy,” (Isaiah 35:1-2) he was living in a less than ideal time in Judah’s history. The people of Judah were far from God but Isaiah knew that a time would come when both the people and the land would be filled with joy. There is an interesting dichotomy between what we presently experience and the joy that we are invited to experience in Christ. 

Since advent is a season of waiting and longing, this week reminds us that we can embrace joy whether or not life seems how we want it to be. 

Love

Last but not least, the fourth week of Advent turns our attention to the birth of Jesus. Isaiah 7:10-16, Psalm 80:1-7, Psalm 80:17-19, Romans 1:1-7, Matthew 1:18-25 are read. The theme of love is fitting since “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son (John 3:16).” 

Each week of Advent, we have been reflecting on our waiting and on the fourth week, we celebrate that the one whom we have been waiting for has come. He brings hope, peace, joy, and love into our lives. Because of him, we are transformed by the Spirit. 

There is light in this dark world because of Christ’s entrance into it. 

Celebrating the birth of Jesus reminds us to look forward to his second coming. While Jesus has brought light into this world, this isn’t all there is. When he comes again, he will extinguish the darkness. The prophecies of Isaiah and the other Old Testament prophets will become more than just a future expectation. They’ll become a present reality. 

Related: 50 Christmas Gift Ideas for the Christian Women In Your Life

Advent in the Old Testament

We’ve already touched on some of the Old Testament prophecies about longing and waiting but I want to help paint a picture of Advent in the Old Testament. Advent begins in Genesis when Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden. Since then, humanity has been longing to return to the same kind of unbroken fellowship with God that the first two humans enjoyed. From the very beginning, God had a plan to restore fallen humanity back to a relationship with himself. 

In fact, as Carroll Stuhlmueller writes, “The dominant theme of the Old Testament is the coming of God, not as a theoretical statement spelled out in words but as a living Person known and loved in everyday life.”⁵

In the Old Testament, we see God’s people wrestle with sin and brokenness and long for righteousness and justice. 

Habakkuk and Advent

One Old Testament book that beautifully demonstrates the themes of Advent is Habakkuk. Habakkuk is filled with themes of longing and hope in the midst of brokenness and injustice. It offers a beautiful window into what it means to live in the “now and not yet.” While Habakkuk ends with a declaration of hope, this hope isn’t quite realized. However, the prophet Habakkuk trusts that God will restore Judah and ultimately, the coming judgment wouldn’t be the end of their story. 

If you are dealing with waiting or longing during this Advent season, consider studying Habakkuk alongside the traditional Advent readings. It can offer a sense of solidarity to those who are navigating difficult times. My study of Habakkuk guides you through the book and helps you to discover the themes many miss. Take 25% off the study with the code ADVENT25. 

Likewise, the season of advent comes to a close before Christmas with the birth of Jesus. Unlike in Habakkuk’s day, Jesus’ birth did bring tangible hope. However, we still long for his second coming. Advent doesn’t make sense without the tension between the now and not yet. 

Advent in the New Testament 

Since we associate Advent with Christmas and the birth of Jesus, it isn’t too difficult to see Advent in the New Testament. However, I want to highlight something about Advent and the Christmas season that many people miss.

A woman in the Bible Recap Sunday School class I help facilitate mentioned that when we read the narratives surrounding Jesus’ birth, we immediately think of it as a time of immense joy since, ultimately, Jesus’ birth brought joy into our lives. There was joy because of the new thing God was doing for Israel and for the world. However, we don’t think of the waiting and longing that God’s people endured for centuries. In Luke 2:25, we learn about a devout man from Jerusalem named Simeon who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” Namely, Jesus, the Son of God. Many longed to see God redeem his people living under Roman occupation. 

God is Present in Our Longing

Similarly, Mary and Joseph endured much pain and hardship so that Jesus could be born into our world. Mary was likely treated with disdain for being pregnant and not yet married. Joseph too for refusing to end their betrothal. Mary and Joseph traveled a long distance because of a Roman census that required everyone to return to their hometown. Because of this, she gave birth in Bethlehem in a place where animals stayed. Jesus was born in a manger — a stone box used to feed animals. They eventually had to flee Egypt because of a threat against Jesus’ life by Herod. 

It wasn’t an easy time for them but God was present. Perhaps you can remember experiencing some hard times around the holidays. Or, maybe you’re going through it now. God is present with you too. 

This is what advent is all about: we are waiting and longing for God but we also know he is present with us. We have hope because our hope is in Christ. Reflecting upon the hard things and the longing of Advent can make Christmas feel even brighter for us. It’s not just a holiday of joy and cheer — it’s a celebration of the Light that has come into the darkness and has brought hope and joy in our waiting.

Celebrating Advent

Now that you know a bit more about what advent means, here are some resources for celebrating advent. If your church doesn’t observe advent or you’d like to also observe it at home with family or friends, these are some resources I recommend.

Advent Devotionals, Books, and Studies

Although not specifically designed for advent, I would recommend my study of Habakkuk for anyone wrestling with waiting and longing and would like to see the advent through the Old Testament. This is great to do alongside traditional advent readings.

Next, I also love Amy Orr-Ewing’s Mary’s Voice. It’s a devotional with art and reflection about Mary’s Magnificat. If you’d like to see more of the female perspective on advent, I’d highly recommend this.

I’ve heard really great things about Ashley Tumlin Wallace’s book, The Liturgical Home: Advent. If you’re looking for a resource that guides you through the “how” of celebrating Advent, this may be for you. 

My husband and I have used Every Moment Holy’s free advent journal and we’ve enjoyed it. 

Last but not least, this summer, I read Stephanie Duncan Smith’s, Even After Everything. It is a memoir about loss, love, and risk that is told through the lens of the liturgical seasons, beginning with Advent. 

Advent Wreath and Candles

Advent wreaths are a newer tradition but they’re a great way to observe Advent in your home with family. You can get one along with Advent candles here.

Advent Art

Last but not least, I’m planning on using this book during Advent this year. 

Advent helps us to wait well and reminds us that darkness and despair are never the end. If this article was helpful for you, please consider leaving a comment or sharing it with a friend.

1. Laurence Hull Stookey, Calendar: Christ’s Time for the Church (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1996), 114. ↩︎
2. Bobby Gross, Living the Christian Year (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009), 38. ↩︎
3. Gross, 37. ↩︎
4. Stookey, 114. ↩︎
5.  Carroll Stuhlmueller, “Advent Themes in the Old Testament,” Sponsa Regis 32, no. 4 (1960): 91. 
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